Venezuela ends power rationing as hydropower resources recover

CARACAS, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela on Monday ended an unpopular energy-saving plan, including electricity rationing and two-day working weeks, as its main hydropower plant is regaining water supply.

The plan, which went into effect on April 25, initially cut off electricity to households in much of the country for up to four hours a day, and later three hours a day.

In addition, the government also curtailed the public-sector working week to two days, shortened the school week by a day, and pushed clocks forward half an hour to make the most use of daylight.

"We have come through the worst of it and today I can say that the Guri (reservoir) is steadily, significantly beginning to recover," President Nicolas Maduro said Friday.

Maduro said his government would continue to promote programs to raise awareness of energy saving, including phasing out traditional incandescent lightbulbs with energy-saving bulbs and replacing old air-conditioning units.

Venezuela has been suffering from acute droughts since 2013 as a result of El Nino weather disruptions. The Simon Bolivar Hydropower Plant on Guri dam supplies more than 60 percent of the country's electricity consumption.